Writing in a personal capacity to share views, information and resources for teachers, trade unionists and campaigners in London - and beyond!

Friday, 29 November 2013

A LETTER FROM A PARENT - performance-pay undermines relationships between teachers and students

I am writing to you to express concern about the current situation in your school in regards to the pay policy that is being proposed for teachers and other staff members.

As a parent, I value the work that teachers do and believe that performance related pay will do nothing to improve the quality of teaching and learning that my son and other students receive. In fact, I feel it will undermine relationships between teachers and students. It doesn't take much imagination to see where this can lead: teachers unnecessarily pressurising students to meet targets, being reluctant to work with students who don't follow national trends in progress or worse, feeling compelled to cheat in order to meet targets.

You may be aware that mental health issues are on the increase among UK teenagers and I am convinced that this is in part due to a culture in many of our schools that places too much emphasis on attainment to the neglect of the emotional and psychological welfare of children. The fear of failure and the stress and anxiety that accompanies these pressures will increase if teachers are paid by narrow measures such as exam results and other numeric targets.

I would like assurances from yourself that the school will not adopt performance related pay and will stick to national pay scales. Insecure, tired and undervalued staff are unlikely to create a positive learning environment for our children. Please respect our teachers by having the confidence in them to do their job free from these unnecessary, bureaucratic and harmful measures.

Martin Powell-Davies

* Brought up as a socialist by parents who hungered for what is right * One adopted grandfather left me a double-barrelled name, the other his name on a 1926 General Strike black-list * Joined the Labour Party as a teenager, left it when it abandoned the values and traditions of so many who built it in the past * Given a comprehensive education at St.Andrew's, Leatherhead * First-class degree from King's College, Cambridge, for those who like that kind of thing * Secondary science teacher in London 1986-2015 * Lewisham NUT Secretary 1993-2015, organiser of many campaigns to defend teachers and education * Living in Sydenham since 1997, father of four who were all so well-supported by Sedgehill School * Member of the NUT National Executive 2010-15 * NUT London Regional Secretary 2016 - * Proud to have been name-checked by Gove for saying that his 'reforms' could make teaching unbearable * Member of the CWI, following its global struggles via http://www.socialistworld.net * Candidate for TUSC in Lewisham West & Penge, 2015 * Member of Penge CC, often a 'Middle Aged Man In Lycra' on Sundays